Our Trip to Napa

I’m excited to be recapping our Napa trip today. That was, without a doubt, the best trip I’ve taken in a long time. The weather, the views, the experience, the wine, the quality time with Kyle…literally everything was simply amazing!

Back Story: Kyle usually plans a trip each year for my birthday. He originally booked a trip to Aruba, but then we switched things around and decided to do a weekend in Vegas with friends and then we flew from Vegas to Napa (quick hour flight), just the two of us, for a four day/three night stay. This was actually a big deal for Kyle because he’s not really a wine drinker. He really just booked the trip for me because I’ve always wanted to go and, well, I love wine. He was such a trooper and, oddly enough, he found a few wines that he really enjoyed!

When we were heading off to Napa, I asked my followers on Instagram for recommendations and, wow, those ladies did not disappoint. We had no set plans so we used the recommendations that were given to guide us along the way. If you are planning on going to Napa anytime soon, I would definitely suggest browsing all the recommendations they listed. They can be found in the comments of THIS POST.

Below I’m sharing where we stayed, the wineries we visited, where we eat, and what I wore.

WHERE WE STAYED

Kyle booked the Carneros Resort and Spa and it was PERFECT! We stayed in a Vineyard View Cottage; it was so cute and romantic! We had a our own private backyard with a separate outdoor shower and tub (in addition to a shower and bathtub in our inside bathroom), a fireplace (we also had a gas fireplace inside our room), and lounge chairs. Each cottage also has a front porch with rocking chairs. I loved it!

The Carneros Resort and Spa also offers an onsite market with food and wine, a really nice restaurant called Farm, bikes to ride, a huge lawn with lots of outdoor games (corn-hole, washers, etc). There were two pools and so much to do. Not to mention, it’s beautiful and the scenery was remarkable! We learned while we were there that the South end of Napa has cooler temps (which is wear Carneros is located). This made Kyle so happy; the nice cool temps were right up his ally! I highly recommend staying there; we would definitely stay there again! Plus, it’s walking distance to the very popular Blue Fly Cafe!

TIP: If you eat breakfast at Carneros, you must get an order of the homemade donuts. They’re made daily and it’s a highly popular item on their menu. They were scrumptious!

VINEYARDS WE VISITED

Domaine Carneros – This place was BEAUTIFUL and easily the number one place people recommended. You must order bubbles if you go here. We shared two tastings; one bubbles and one Pinot Noir tasting. We ordered a few bottles from here and had them shipped home. Visitng this winery is a MUST.

Robert Mondavi – This one was Kyle’s favorite!! He loved their wine the best and the scenery was beautiful! We sat on their outdoor patio area for a long time; we could have stayed all day. We loved it there; Kyle even signed us up for their Wine Club! Ha! This should tell you how much Kyle liked; which says a lot for a non-wine drinker.

Cakebread Cellars – This is another one that was highly recommended, but they were under construction so walked around for a little bit, but didn’t stay long. We didn’t do a tasting here.

Caymus Vineyards – We really liked this one! I loved their outdoor areas; if you go with friends I would definitely reserve a table here for a tasting. This is another one that we could have stayed at for hours!

Ashes & Diamonds – This one was our least favorite. It’s very different than the rest. They told us that they cater to the millennial’s and you can definitely tell. This one just doesn’t have that “Napa vibe”. They wine tasted okay, but we didn’t stay here too long.

Artesa Vineyards & Winery – The views at this one were MAGICAL! We stayed outside and admired the views for a long time; they were amazing! We also enjoyed the tasting here!

Mumm Napa – This is the only one on our list that we didn’t get to visit. It was one that came highly recommended for champagne. We’ll definitely plan to stop by here next time.

TIP: I would plan out three vineyards to visit each day. You could possible do four depending on how early you want to start, but I think three is a good number so you can have a decent amount of time at each one. Also, keep in mind, most wineries close at 5pm.

WHERE WE ATE

Same with the wineries, we decided where to eat based on everyone’s recommendations.

Boon Fly Cafe – This was walking distance from the cottage where we were staying. It’s a super cute cafe! We went for lunch, but I would suggest going here for brunch if you can. Their brunch menu looked great! Our food was good and so were the drinks!

ButterCream Bakery & Diner – It’s a family-owned business since 1948! This is a little local diner and bakery that had great breakfast and I’m pretty sure this was the least expensive meal we had the entire time. It was very cheap, but very good! They also have SO MANY delicious desserts in their bakery!

Long Meadow Ranch (we were also told the restaurant was called Farmstead) – This place was really trendy! They have some unique items on their menu; everything we had was really good! We went there for dinner, but we were also told that it’s a great place for brunch!

Press – This was probably the nicest meal we had on our trip. The food was really good! If you go, and you like bacon, you MUST get the Bacon Bar Tasting. It was neat and Kyle LOVED it! We really liked this place; it was really nice and the food was delicious! We would definitely go back here!

Oakville Grocery Co. – Local food from local people since 1881. This was a place that we kept driving by so we decided to take a break from wineries and grab a bite to eat here. It’s a really neat place that’s been around forever! They have lots of things to eat (and wine to choose from) and then you take it outside and eat on their patio. We really liked this place! I definitely think we’ll visit here anytime we go back to Napa. Just fun place to grab a snack and relax to break up the day.

Rutherford Grill – This was another place that came highly recommended. We really liked it; Kyle got a French Dip sandwich and said it was SO good! If you go here, you MUST order their cornbread as an appetizer. It’s what their known for; it’s YUMMY!

HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE

Kyle booked a hot air balloon ride for us while we were there and it was AMAZING! Neither one of us had ever been on one before and we’d heard amazing this about doing it in Napa. We had to get up super early (5am), but it was so worth it! It was peaceful, so beautiful, and truly a neat experience. If you have the time, I would definitely suggest doing it. We scheduled our ride through Napa Valley Balloons.

WHAT I WORE

It was really chilly in the mornings and in the evenings, so if you go this time of year (late August or later), I would definitely make sure to pack a jacket or light sweaters.

I got so many compliments on this dress! It’s so comfy and it’s lined to the knee so it’s not see-through! I’m wearing a size small. Dress // Jacket (size down!) // Bra // Necklace // Sunglasses // Booties

Hi! I’m planning our anniversary trip to Napa and I have written down all your recommendations! One question, did y’all rent a car, get a driver, Uber? Just wondering what the best way to get around to everything is?

by thesisterstudioigProbably my favorite top (and booties) that I’ve ever purchased from @walmart ! Also, captions are hard. I spent a good ten minutes trying to think of something cleaver or interesting